Impressively, 2006 will be the 14th year of the CATS MBC Friday evening summer series. It’s been running continuously since 1992, which must be some sort of record. The format is loosely based on cyclo-cross – you race for an amount of time plus the rest of the lap you’re on. So you know fairly closely how long you’re going to have to go fast for. There are categories for all ages from 12 upwards (with some rounds having under-12 events too) and there’s a bunch of different venues to ensure variety from one week to the next – organising duties are shared out between a bunch of local clubs.

Best of all, the entry fee is an entirely reasonable £6.50 if you enter in advance, which you should – there’s a maximum of 100 riders per race. There are 12 rounds, but the final one doesn’t count towards the series – it’s just for fun, with an end-of-season BBQ and things. You need to race six rounds to qualify – enter at least six up front all at once and Round 12 is free.

Those dates and venues in full:

• Round 1 5 May Brixworth Country Park, Brixworth
• Round 2 12 May National Bowl, Milton Keynes
• Round 3 19 May Avalanche Adventure, Sibbertoft
• Round 4 9 JuneSt. Andrews RFC, Rugby
• Round 5 16 June Borough Hill, Daventry
• Round 6 30 June Kilworth Springs Golf Course, South Kilworth
• Round 7 7 July Irchester Country Park, Irchester
• Round 8 14 July Swift Valley Ind Est, Rugby
• Round 9 21 July Rowney Warren Woods, Chicksands
• Round 10 28 July Venue TBCC
• Round 11 18 Aug Bulwick Estates, Corby
• Round 12 25 Aug Pitsford Water, Brixworth Country Park

More details and the all-important entry form at www.catsmbc.com.